Space elevator to the moon

A Washington based company thinks that a space elevator — essentially a giant cable reaching to the stars that a robot can then climb up and down — could lift people and objects to the moon, “today.”

The system, called LiftPort, would use a ribbon cable to transport visitors to the moon’s surface. The initial portion of the project involves testing the system on earth by tethering a balloon to the ground and allowing a robot to climb 1.2 miles into the sky.

A recent breakthrough has allowed the company to build this project using existing technology, utilizing a single-launch rocket that has, “Sputnik-like simplicity.”

The LiftPort Group was created by an ex-member of NASA and has launched a Kickstarter campaign in an effort to build enough funding for the project. The project’s ribbon will be held together by large helium balloons.

In 2007 LiftPort cancelled its moon elevator project due to the poor economy. The company currently predicts that it can create the elevator in 20-25 years. Right now they are working through a 1-year feasibility study that’s going to cost $3 million.